National Study Reveals Alarming Rates of Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Tunisia
A national study published by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Tunisia on "Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence in Tunisia" has revealed that 60% (or 6 out of 10 Tunisian women) have been victims of some form of digital violence in their lifetime. This indicator reflects the expanding scope of cyber violence and its increasing impact on the psychological and social health of women.
Key Findings
The study, which included 741 women over 18 years old via a telephone questionnaire and targeted discussion groups, showed that digital violence has become a true extension of gender-based violence in real life, making its effects more complex and persistent due to its electronic nature and the difficulty of erasing its traces from the digital space.
The research results indicate that online sexual harassment ranks first with 31%, followed by online harassment and cyberbullying with 24% each, and then account hacking and hacking with 23%.
Impact on Women
The study's authors also noted that digital violence does not only target women who are active online but can also affect those who have no digital presence, through the publication of their photos, identity theft, or threats to use private data.
The report highlights that women who have been victims of digital violence have recorded a lower score on the psychological well-being index compared to non-victims, reflecting higher levels of stress, anxiety, and psychological pressure.
Legal Framework and Challenges
The study confirmed the existence of a near-total absence of a comprehensive legal framework in Tunisia addressing digital violence from a gender perspective. The available legal texts remain scattered between laws on cybercrime, communications, personal data protection, and the law on the elimination of violence against women.
It also highlighted the technical challenges faced by victims and authorities, including the difficulty of identifying perpetrators who use fake accounts or operate from abroad, in addition to gaps in social media platforms' algorithms that are sometimes unable to detect violent or discriminatory content.
Recommendations
The study called for the acceleration of the establishment of a clear legislative framework that unifies the definition of digital violence, specifies the types and reporting mechanisms, while strengthening the capacities of cybercrime units and intensifying awareness campaigns on the secure use of technology.
It also emphasized the need to focus efforts on changing the behavior of potential aggressors and not just raising awareness among victims, considering that social normalization of digital violence and blaming women contribute to the aggravation and persistence of the phenomenon.
